Method for inserting medicine into animal tissue

ABSTRACT

An extractable device is used to insert a medicinal filling into an animal tissue. The device comprises a filling member and a pasty medicine. The filling member is made of a flexible and hermetic wall and is provided with a holding portion and an injection port via which the pasty medicine is injected into the holding portion after the filling member is inserted into the animal tissue. The holding portion is provided with an opening which is releasably lashed by one end of one or more threads so as to make the opening leakproof. Upon completion of solidification of the pasty medicine in the holding portion of the filling member, other end of the thread is pulled to unlash the opening of the holding portion, thereby enabling the filling member to be extracted from the animal tissue so as to leave only the medicine in the animal tissue.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/652,470, entitled “Extractable Filler for Inserting Medicine intoAnimal Tissue,” filed Sep. 2, 2003, now U.S. Pat. No. 7,175,628, whichclaims priority to Taiwanese patent application No. 92113771, filed May,21, 2003, the disclosure of each of which is hereby incorporated byreference in its entirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to an instrument which is usedin the restorative operation of animal tissue disorder. Morespecifically this surgical instrument can be used to insert a medicalmaterial into an animal tissue such that the instrument can be separatedfrom the medical material and drawn out of the animal tissue so as toavert the possibility of tissue rejection.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The surgical treatment of animal tissue disorder can be generallyattained by one of three methods, which include the hypodermic injectionof medicine, the balloon-insertion of medicine, and the filler-insertionof medicine. For example, the U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,972,105; 6,066,154; and6,248,110B1 disclose respectively a method for treating bone tissuedisorders, such as osteoporosis and vertebral compression fractures. Themethod involves the use of a balloon (made by the Kyphon Crop., U.S.A.)by which the tissue is expanded to facilitate the inserting of themedicine. This balloon method is defective in design in that themedicine is apt to spread aimlessly in the tissue without boundary.Without containment, the medicine is not as effective and there is thepossibility of injury to the surrounding tissues.

In order to prevent the drawbacks of the balloon method described above,the filler-insertion method is used to implant the medicine in animaltissue in such a way that the medicine is contained in the filler, andthat both the medicine and the filler are implanted in the animaltissue. This filler-insertion method is often carried out in danger ofthe tissue rejection of the filler.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides an extractable device for inserting amedicinal filling into an animal tissue, said device comprising:

a filling member comprising a flexible and hermetic wall and providedwith a holding portion, an injection port at one end of the holdingportion, and an opening at another end of the holding portion;

one or more thread, each having one end for fastening releasably saidopening of said holding portion in such a manner that said opening isleakproof; and

a pasty medicine to be injected into said holding portion via saidinjection port of said filling member in the wake of a process forinserting said filling member into the animal tissue whereby said pastymedicine solidifies in said holding portion of said filling member;

said opening of said holding portion being unfastened at the time whenother end of said threads is pulled by an external force, therebyenabling said filling member to be extracted from the animal tissue soas to leave only said medicine in the animal tissue.

Preferably, said holding portion of said filling member is integrallyformed by said flexible and hermetic wall into a body in the form ofsac, bag, or ball.

Preferably, said pasty medicine is a mixture of a liquid and a medicinalpowdered substance or medicinal granular substance.

Preferably, the device of the present invention further comprises aninjection tool for injecting said pasty medicine into said holdingportion via said injection port.

Preferably, said injection tool comprises a guide tube and a syringe,wherein one end of said guide tube is connected to said injection portof said filling member and another end of said guide tube is connectedto said syringe in which said pasty medicine is held, so that said pastymedicine is able to be injected into said holding portion of saidfilling member by said syringe via said injection port and said guidetube.

Preferably, said flexible and hermetic wall is a double-layer tubularwall having one end of an inner layer thereof being provided with saidinjection port of said holding portion, and having another end thereofbeing a folded double-layer end with said opening of said holdingportion, wherein said medicine is released from said filling member bypulling a free end of an outer layer of the double-layer tubular wall toretreat the folded double-layer end, after said opening of said holdingportion being unfastened.

Preferably, said one or more thread is between said inner layer and saidouter layer of said double-layer tubular wall.

The present invention also discloses a method for implanting asolidified medicine into an animal tissue comprising:

inserting a filling member in a hole of an animal tissue, said fillingmember comprising a flexible and hermetic wall and provided with aholding portion, an injection port at one end of the holding portion,and an opening at another end of the holding portion, wherein one ormore thread is provided and each having one end fastening releasablysaid opening of said holding portion in such a manner that said openingis leakproof;

injecting a pasty medicine into said holding portion via said injectionport of said filling member, whereby said pasty medicine solidifies insaid holding portion of said filling member; and

unfastening said opening of said holding portion by pulling other end ofsaid threads, thereby enabling said filling member to be extracted fromthe animal tissue so as to leave only said solidified medicine in theanimal tissue.

Preferably, the method further comprising fastening detachably aninjection tool with said filling member, so that said pasty medicine isinjected into said holding portion via said injection tool. Morepreferably, said injection tool comprises a guide tube and a syringe,wherein one end of said guide tube is connected to said injection portof said filling member and another end of said guide tube is connectedto said syringe in which said pasty medicine is held, wherein said pastymedicine is injected into said holding portion of said filling member bysaid syringe via said injection port and said guide tube.

The flexible wall of the filling member of the present invention ishermetic and made of a biocompatible or biosynthetic material, such asrubber, elastic plastic, titanium, goat intestine, and the like. Theflexible wall can be formed into an object in the form of sac, bag,ball, cylinder or rectangular column integrally or by joining separatepieces.

The filling member of the present invention may contain a ray imagingmaterial, such as a metal wire, by which the precise position of thefilling member can be easily located by a ray imaging system, such as anX-ray machine.

The features and the advantages of the present invention will be morereadily understood upon a thoughtful deliberation of the followingdetailed description of the preferred embodiments of the presentinvention with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a sectional schematic view of the present invention.

FIGS. 2 a-2 c are schematic views illustrating the lashing of theopening of the holding portion of the filling member of the presentinvention.

FIGS. 3 a and 3 b are sectional schematic view of the present inventionat work.

FIGS. 4 a-4 c are schematic views illustrating the unlashing of theopening of the holding portion of the filling member of the presentinvention upon completion of the injection of the medicine into theholding portion of the filling member.

FIG. 5 a shows a schematic view of the connection tube of theimplantation-injection apparatus of the present invention.

FIGS. 5 b and 5 c are sectional schematic views illustrating the processin which the filling member of the present invention is extracted fromthe animal tissue.

FIGS. 6 a and 6 b are schematic views illustrating that the opening ofthe holding portion of the filling member of the present invention isreleasably lashed by a thread.

FIGS. 7 a-7 d are schematic views illustrating a process in which theopening of the holding portion of the filling member of the presentinvention is releasably lashed by two threads in conjunction withsewing.

FIG. 8 a is a schematic view illustrating a process in which adouble-layer wall of the holding portion of the filling member of thepresent invention is formed.

FIG. 8 b illustrating a process in which the double-layer wall of theholding portion of the filling member of the present invention isretreated from the solidified medicine.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As shown in FIG. 1, an extractable filler 10 embodied in the presentinvention comprises a filling member 20, a pasty medicine 30, aconnection tube 40, and two threads 50 and 51. The filling member 20 isformed of a flexible wall 21 and is provided with a holding portion 22and an injection port 23. The pasty medicine 30 is injected into theholding portion 22 via the connection tube 40 and the injection port 23.The dotted line 3-3 shows a direction in which a section of the fillingmember 20 is taken.

As shown in FIG. 2 a, the holding portion 22 of the filling member 20 isintegrally formed of the hermetic flexible wall 21, and is provided withan opening 24 opposite to the injection port 23 of the filling member20. The filling member 20, for example, is an inflatable rubber balloonwith an additional opening like the opening 24. The opening 24 is lashedby two threads 50 and 51. The first thread 50 has a first end 501 and asecond end 502, while the second thread 51 has a first end 511 and asecond end 512. The two threads 50 and 51 are in fact fastenedreleasably to the flexible wall 21 near the opening 24. The way by whichthey are fastened together is not shown in the drawing.

The opening 24 of the holding portion 22 of the filling member 20 issecurely tied up to prevent the medicine 30 from leaking out of theholding portion 22 by means of the two threads 50 and 51 which arereleasably entangled in such a manner that the first end 511 of thesecond thread 51 is wound around the first thread 50. Upon completion ofthe winding process, the flexible wall 21 surrounding the opening 24 islocated in a position between the two threads 50 and 51, as indicated bya dotted line 4-4 in FIG. 2 b. Thereafter, both ends 501 and 502 of thefirst thread 50, and the first end 511 of the second thread 51 arerespectively pulled rightward and leftwards at the same time, asillustrated in FIG. 2 c. As a result, the opening 24 of the fillingmember 20 is leakproof.

As shown in FIGS. 3 a and 3 b, the filling member 20 is first insertedinto a blind hole 71 of an animal tissue 70. The pasty medicine 30 isthen injected into the holding portion 22 of the filling member 20 by asyringe 60 in conjunction with the connection tube 40. The fillingmember 20 is thus inflated by the medicine 30, as shown in FIG. 3 b. Theconnection tube 40 has one end 41 which is connected with the fillingmember 20, and another end 42 which is connected to one end 611 of abarrel 61 of the syringe 60. A plunger 62 is slidably inserted intoanother end 612 of the barrel 61 in which the pasty medicine 30 iscontained.

The pasty medicine 30 is a mixture of a liquid and one or more kinds ofanimal tissue drugs in the form of powder, granule, or colloid. Thepasty medicine 30 is capable of solidification.

Upon completion of the solidification of the pasty medicine 30 in theblind hole 71 of the animal tissue 70, the filling member 20 must beextracted from the blind hole 71 of the animal tissue 70, so as to leaveonly the medicine 30 in the blind hole 71 of the animal tissue 70 toprevent the rejection of the filling member 20 by the animal tissue 70.The extraction of the filling member 20 from the blind hole 71 of theanimal tissue 70 involves a first step in which the second end 512 ofthe second thread 51 is pulled upward as indicated by an arrow in FIG. 4a. As a result, the two threads 50 and 51 become loosened, as shown inFIG. 4 b. Thereafter, the first end 501 of the first thread 50 and thesecond end 512 of the second thread 51 are respectively pulled in adirection away from the opening 24 of the filling member 20, asillustrated in FIG. 4 c. The opening 24 is thus unfastened completely.

As shown in FIG. 5 a, the connection tube 40 is provided in one end 41with a pointed projection 411 inside the tube. As the connection tube 40is slightly twisted, the solidified medicine 30 is severed by thepointed projection 411 of the connection tube 40. The filling member 20can be drawn out of the blind hole 71 of the animal tissue 70 by theconnection tube 40, as illustrated in FIG. 5 b and FIG. 5 c. As aresult, only the medicine 30 is left in the blind hole 71 of the animaltissue.

The opening 24 of the filling member 20 may be fastened by only onethread 50, as illustrated in FIGS. 6 a and 6 b. The thread 50 has afirst end 501 and a second end 502. With the thread 50, a knot is formedto lash the opening 24 of the filling member 20 in such a manner thatthe flexible wall 21 of the opening 24 is surrounded by a loop asindicated by a line 5-5 in FIG. 6 a. With the second end 502 of thethread 50 remaining in the stationary state, the first end 501 is pulledto fasten the opening 24. The opening 24 is unfastened by pulling thesecond end 502 of the thread 20, thereby resulting in separation of thefilling member 20 from the thread 50.

The thread 50 can be also used to form a different knot, as shown inFIG. 6 b. The flexible wall 21 of the opening 24 of the filling member20 is surrounded by a loop as indicated by a line 6-6 in FIG. 6 b. Asthe first end 501 of the thread 50 is pulled in a direction away fromthe filling member 20, the opening 24 of the filling member 20 is lashedto become leakproof. The opening 24 of the filling member 20 is unlashedto enable the filling member 20 to separate from the thread 50 bypulling the second end 502 of the thread 50.

The opening 24 of the filling member 20 can be releasably fastened bysewing in conjunction with two threads 50 and 51, as illustrated inFIGS. 7 a-7 d. With the first thread 50, a plurality of loops areformed. These loops are joined with the flexible wall 21 of the opening24 by sewing. The second thread 51 is put through the loops of the firstthread 50. As the second thread 51 is pulled out of the loops of thefirst thread 50, the first thread 50 becomes separated from the flexiblewall 21 of the opening 24 of the filling member 20, as illustrated inFIGS. 7 b-7 d. As a result, the opening 24 is unfastened. Such afastening as described above is similar to that which is commonly usedto fasten the opening of a cement or flour bag.

A further embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 8 a, andFIG. 8 b, which is similar to the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 2 c,except that a filling member 80 is formed of a double-layer wall 81 andthe first thread 51 and second thread 52 are located between an innerlayer 812 and an outer layer 811 of the double-layer wall 81. As shownin FIG. 8 a, a flexible and hermetic tubular wall is tied at anintermediate point thereof by the threads 50 and 51 at the beginning.The lower portion 811 of the tubular wall (will become an outer layer)is then rolled up, so that it is inside out and covering up the threads50 and 51 and the upper portion 812 of the tubular wall (will become aninner layer). The rolled-up end of said double-layer wall 81 is providedwith an opening 82 of the holding portion 22, which is lashed by the twothreads 50 and 51. The opening 82 is unfastened by pulling the threads50 and 51 the same way as shown in FIGS. 4 a to 4 c. As shown in FIG. 8b, the rolled-up double-layer end is retreated from the solidifiedmedicine 30 by pulling a free end of the outer layer 811 of thedouble-layer wall 81, while one end of the inner layer 812 is connectedto the connection tube 40 as an injection port of said holding portion22 of the said filling member 80, whereby said solidified medicine 30 isreleased from said filling member 80. A working tube 43 is used toaccommodate the connection tube 40, the threads 50 and 51 and the freeend of the outer layer 811 of the double-layer wall 81 of the fillingmember 80.

The embodiments of the present invention described above are to beregarded in all respects as belong illustrative and nonrestrictive.Accordingly, the present invention may be embodied in other specificforms without deviating from the spirit thereof. The present inventionis therefore to be limited only the scopes of the following claims.

The invention claimed is :
 1. A method for implanting a solidifiedmedicine into an animal tissue, comprising: inserting into the animaltissue a flexible container defining a proximal injection port and areleasably closable distal opening, the proximal injection port and thereleasably closable distal opening each being defined by the flexiblecontainer prior to the inserting, the releasably closable distal openingbeing closed during the inserting; after the inserting, at leastpartially filling the container with a solidifiable medicinal filling;allowing the medicinal filling to at least partially solidify within thecontainer; and extracting the container form the animal tissue when thedistal opening of the container is open such that the medicinal fillingis removed from the container through the distal opening, the medicinalfilling remaining within the animal tissue after the container isextracted.
 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising injecting thefilling into the container through the proximal injection port.
 3. Themethod of claim 1, further including allowing the medicinal filling tocompletely solidify after extracting the container.
 4. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the container includes an inner layer and an outerlayer.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein at least partially filling thecontainer includes injecting the solidifiable medicinal filling from aninjection tool through the proximal injection port of the container. 6.The method of claim 5, further comprising: opening the distal opening ofthe container; and injecting an additional amount of the solidifiablemedicinal filling into the container after the opening the distalopening of the container.
 7. The method of claim 5, further comprising:opening the distal opening of the container; and injecting an additionalamount of the solidifiable medicinal filling into the container afterthe opening the distal opening of the container and after at leastpartially extracting the container such that the solidifiable medicinalfilling exits the distal opening of the container.
 8. The method ofclaim 1, wherein the extracting includes severing the solidifiablemedicinal filling from an injection tool.
 9. The method of claim 1,wherein the container is shaped like one of a ball or a bag.
 10. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the flexible container is hermetic.
 11. Amethod for placing a solidified medicine into an animal tissue,comprising: inserting into the animal tissue a flexible container havinga proximal inlet and a distal outlet, the proximal inlet and the distaloutlet each being defined by the flexible container prior to theinserting, the distal outlet being closed during the inserting; afterthe inserting, inserting a solidifiable medicinal filling through theproximal inlet of the container; allowing the medicinal filling to atleast partially solidify within the container; opening the distal outletof the container; disposing the medicinal filling in the animal tissuethrough the distal outlet; and removing the container from the animaltissue.
 12. The method of claim 11, further including allowing thesolidifiable medicinal filling to further solidify after removing thecontainer from the animal tissue.
 13. The method of claim 11, whereinthe medicinal filling completely solidifies before disposing themedicinal filling in the animal tissue.
 14. The method of claim 11,wherein the distal outlet includes at least one releasable threadconfigured to releasably seal the distal outlet.
 15. The method of claim14, wherein opening the distal outlet of the container includes applyinga pulling force to a first end of the thread.
 16. The method of claim14, wherein the at least one releasable thread includes two releasablethreads, and wherein opening the distal outlet of the container includesapplying a pulling force to a first end of the first thread and thenapplying a pulling force to a first end of the second thread.
 17. Themethod of claim 11, wherein the flexible container is hermetic.
 18. Amethod for placing a solidifiable medicine into an animal tissue,comprising: inserting into the animal tissue a flexible container havinga proximal inlet, a distal outlet, and a holding portion, the proximalinlet and the distal outlet each being defined by the flexible containerprior to the inserting; after the inserting, injecting a solidifiablemedicinal filling into the holding portion of the container through theproximal inlet; allowing the medicinal filling to at least partiallysolidify within the container; disposing the filling in the animaltissue through the distal opening by at least partially removing thecontainer from the animal tissue.
 19. The method of claim 18, whereinthe distal outlet of the container is releasably sealed by at least onethread prior to the inserting.
 20. The method of claim 18, furtherincluding opening the distal outlet prior to removing the container. 21.The method of claim 18, further including allowing the solidifiablemedicinal filling to further solidify after removing the container fromthe animal tissue.
 22. The method of claim 18, wherein the flexiblecontainer is hermetic.